However, bus company First York said its services were delayed by an hour or more and that the event had "brought York centre to gridlock".

Cityzap, which runs services between the Yorkshire Coast, York and Leeds, said its services ran between 30 and 45 minutes late.

Image caption
Crowds flocked to the city's racecourse to watch the balloons being launched

At a council meeting in December, Mr Brown admitted the event had "brought the city to a standstill" and added that if it did return, organisers would work with the bus companies.

The former Conservative Council leader Ian Gillies told the same meeting the event had been a big success, but said the authority had to take some responsibility for the traffic issues.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, James Gilchrist, assistant director of transport for York, said there had been discussions with the organisers, Make it York and the police to see what "lessons" could be learned.

"We look forward to receiving the proposals for traffic management from the event organisers so that these can be considered," he said.